Clinical Somatic Education

GROUP MOVEMENT CLASSESThomas Hanna created a series of gentle, safe, and hugely effective movements that eliminate pain, create more efficiency with movement, and improve mobility. During these classes we are asked to work “smarter” as we reawaken sensory-motor pathways that let us gain full control of our muscles. When we have full control of a muscle – we can contract it to 100% if we need to, and more importantly – we then relax the muscle all the way to 0% contraction at rest.

All of these movements are already “hard-wired” into our system. There is a safe starting point for every individual. The old adage “no pain – no gain” does not apply when practicing somatics.

Weekly movement classes reinforce the work done in private clinical sessions. They provide a foundation for any other workout regime such as yoga, running or hiking, and allow you to learn how to be your own practitioner as you get yourself out of pain using these gentle somatic movements. Please refer to "Services" for current class offerings.

This class is suitable for every body, whether you are completely new to a movement practice, are experiencing some pain in your body, or have a long standing practice that you want to deepen.

While there are often significant gains that occur during your first session, it is important to remember that we usually present with more than one reflex pattern and that private sessions supported by your home practice are essential. Each session will build upon the gains from the last session.

During the private session you will lie on a low, wide table and be guided into gentle movements. These movements will involve assisted pandiculations (hands-on assistance from the practitioner) that allow you to feel the area of contraction, and slowly and gently release the contraction. During this process you are regaining control of the muscle at the level of the sensory-motor nervous system (brain) and re-setting the muscle length and function.

Once your brain “gets it” you will begin to sense more, self-monitor, and self-adjust/correct to maintain your “new normal”. This is the process of eliminating sensory motor amnesia. With each session you will begin to create a “tool box” of somatic movements that you can use to maintain the change in your functionality. The key to this process is your commitment to your home practice.

WHAT IS CLINICAL SOMATICS?Clinical Somatics is a movement based therapy that asks us to observe from within those areas of our body where we feel freedom of movement and those areas where we feel restricted due to chronic tension.

Working from the center of the body – the core – we begin to release the large muscles through a sequence of safe and gentle movements. These movements are based on a series of patterns that are seen in the body. These patterns are strong reflexes that are “hard-wired” into the sensory-motor nervous system (Red Light Reflex, Green Light Relfex, and Trauma Reflex) and have evolved over time. Learn more about the three Somatic reflexes here.

"Clinical Somatics is the the only sensory motor training method that teaches you to reverse the root cause of most chronic muscle pain and gives you strategies to reduce muscle tension and pain in the future. In Clinical Somatics we teach you, through simple movements, how to relax the muscles that contribute to your pain." Martha Peterson, Move Without Pain (To purchase Martha Peterson's book "Move Without Pain" click here. This is a valuable resource to support a home practice.)

WHAT IS PANDICULATION?

The term pandicualtion means to "stretch oneself" also "a stretching and stiffening of the trunk and extremities, as when fatigued and drowsy or on waking, often accompanied by yawning." If you observe your cat or dog, they pandiculate upon waking/resting numerous times a day. When pandiculating, you are consciously contracting (stiffening/tightening) and releasing (stretching/lengthening) muscles. Pandiculation is also known to be a way of releasing tension within physical, emotional or mental bodies.

Thomas Hanna, the founder of Clinical Somatic Education, studied neurophysiology and explored movement techniques that would directly address the habitual muscular tension that was the underlying cause of his clients’ chronic pain and posture and movement issues. Hanna developed hands-on movements and self-care exercises that made use of the pandicular response.Hanna would first teach his clients pandiculations that focused on contracting and releasing one muscle or a small group of muscles, then gradually teach them larger movements which involved moving their entire body. Voluntary pandiculation proved to be a groundbreaking movement technique. It quickly reduced muscular tension, and since it relaxed muscles through learning rather than passive manipulation (such as in stretching or massage or having something done to you), the effects were typically long-lasting.Pandiculation was the first active hands-on movement technique that a somatic educator had employed to any significant degree. Through experimentation, Hanna found that active, voluntary movement on the part of the client was the most efficient and effective way to retrain the nervous system and release chronic, involuntary muscular contraction.

WHAT IS SENSORY MOTOR AMNESIA?

Sensory Motor Amnesia, SMA, inhibits movement quality and freedom by reducing muscle control and function and can be defined as:

Muscles have only two functions, they CONTRACT and they RELAX, that’s it! They do nothing else, so if you lose voluntary control over those two FUNCTIONS, you lose voluntary control over the result of those functions. Which is… Drum roll… your MOVEMENT! The impulses which signal your muscles to contract or relax come from the Motor Cortex (one half of the Sensory Motor Cortex). So the problem of SMA is not a structural problem in the muscles but a neurological event in your brain.

Sensory Motor Amnesia can develop in the following ways;

Through Stress (physical and emotional)

Through Trauma (surgeries, injuries, falls, impacts)

Through repetitive actions (working at a computer, driving, playing a musical instrument etc)

Through lack of movement (sedentary lifestyle)

When SMA develops your muscles become ‘stuck’ in contraction to some degree. We ‘forget’ how to VOLUNTARILY release and relax them to their full resting length. These ‘stuck’ muscles pull us out of shape creating postural distortions. These postural distortions make it more difficult to move well by reducing our range of motion and can eventually cause chronic muscle pain (back, hip, neck, shoulder, knee, ankle pain etc.) without apparent cause.Summary:

Sensory Motor Amnesia is ‘a partial or total loss of (memory in) our ability to SENSE and MOVE’ our muscles.

When we develop SMA we can no longer relax our muscles to their proper resting length.

SMA is a brain event that causes a functional muscular problem.

It is not a structural problem.

It is developed through stress, trauma, repetitive actions or lack of movement.

It causes postural distortions and muscular pain in our bodies.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CLINICAL SOMATICS?

Long term relief of acute and chronic pain caused by musculoskeletal conditions.

A toolbox full of tools that can teach you how to regain control of muscles affected by sensory motor amnesia.

Increased flexibility without pulling and tugging on your muscles!

Increased balance and coordination.

Increased awareness of your stress triggers and the means to relieve stress.